FC Halifax Town 1-0 Sutton United

It was far from a classic, and Town's performance was far from perfect, but they dug in, persisted and were eventually rewarded.

The match was a reflection of the pitch, messy and scruffy, with Sutton limited in ambition and threat.

But Halifax battled against a stubborn Sutton side, a poor pitch and a very underwhelming referee to earn three valuable points.

Town appeared to have been rewarded for a pretty bright start when Tobi Sho-Silva tucked away Danny Williams' cut back, but the goal was ruled out for offside against Williams.

Sho-Silva was alongside Rodney and Jack Redshaw in an attacking line-up, and The Shaymen were positive early on, no-one more so than the returning Jeff King down the right.

On his return from suspension, the wing-back was full of energy, supplying some nice passes and making good forays forward.

A promising foray upfield by Rodney should have resulted in a shot at goal, with runners left right and centre but the striker's pass picked out no-one.

The pitch discouraged progressive play through the phases, with the run of the ball unpredictable.

There was barely a square foot of the surface that wasn't cut up or bobbly; a bouncing ball stopped dead in its tracks within the first 20 seconds.

Town's frustration at the officials for ruling out Sho-Silva's goal turned to anger when what looked like a strong claim for a penalty for a trip on Jeff King was not given by Simon Mather, sending Pete Wild into convulsions on the touchline.

The subtext of the officiating was becoming more central than any action, or lack of it, as tempers boiled over when both sets of players came together in a melee.

The backs of the Town team and the supporters were up, with any Sutton indiscretion, poor challenge or perceived time-wasting raising the heckles further the more they went unpunished.

None of which improved the quality of the contest, with Charlie Cooper's shot straight at the Sutton keeper 10 minutes before the break the first effort on goal.

Redshaw, Town's most creative player, had spent more time watching the ball in the air above him than with it at his feet - perhaps an unavoidable consequence of the poor pitch - while Sho-Silva and Rodney were getting no clear sight at goal.

But the same could be said of Sutton, who failed to make any impression going forward and appeared to be badly missing top-scorer Harry Beautyman, with Sam Johnson virtually redundant.

The half ended with Pete Wild being booked. Having watched his team be on the receiving end of some dodgy refereeing, it was salt in the wound he was penalised for daring to question the competency of the man in charge.

The irony that he was shown a yellow card before any of the Sutton players can't have been lost on the Town boss either.

Neither side was able to build any momentum; a superb cross by Cooper found Sho-Silva near the penalty spot a few minutes after the restart, but the forward headed over the angle of post and bar.

The game was there for Town to win if they could inject their play with some rhythm and tempo. Easier said than done against an obdurate opponent, and pitch.

The Shaymen were lacking composure, shooting wastefully rather than trying to pick a pass, while errors were starting to creep in, with Redshaw still frustratingly a peripheral figure.

Sutton's first corner and first shot on target, allied with Halifax's lack of penetration, caused a few jitters inside The Shay as the game started to get stretched.

It had become next-goal-wins - it was from the start on reflection - and substitute Jamie Allen spurned a glorious chance to do just when he was played into acres of space but he fired straight at keeper Nikola Tzanev from an angle.

But Town were rewarded for a good spell of pressure when Mather did give them a penalty for a high kick on Nathan Clarke at a corner, although he took his time giving that.

Proceedings descended into farce as Sutton players crowded round Rodney before he took the kick, trying to put him off. They should have known it wouldn't work as he buried the spot kick.

Halifax: Johnson, Maher, Clarke, Brown, J King, Cooper, Staunton (Nolan 90), Williams, Redshaw (C King 74), Rodney, Sho-Silva (Allen 66). Subs not used: Appleyard, Binnom-Williams.

Scorer: Rodney (88)

Shots on target: 5

Shots off target: 7

Corners: 5

Sutton: Tzanev, Randall (Ajiboye 73), Goodliffe, Barden, Wyatt, Kealy (Olaofe 60), Milsom, Bolarinwa, Rowe, Reid, Bugiel (Dundas 81). Subs not used: Pearce, Brown.

Shots on target: 2

Shots off target: 3

Corners: 1

Attendance: 1,637

Referee: Simon Mather

Town man of the match: Nathan Clarke